How to Quit Your Job in Style

Back from the beach and was going to blog a little about it, but then came across this article in my inbox and found it much more entertaining than what I was going to write about, haha… So enjoy this guest post by instead while I get nice and caught up! Hope you had a great week!

(PS: That spreadsheet we shared last week that changed my friend’s life? It got picked up by with over 1.5 million views (!!!). Then landed at the top of getting over 900 comments, incredible… I knew people liked juicy numbers, but wow. I owe you a beer, Kyle! Or 10! :))

Take it away Finance Superhero….

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I have a secret.

I’m planning to quit my current day job in the next 1-2 years if all goes to plan.

It’s a great job that goes beyond just paying the bills. I get to make a difference in many lives on a daily basis.

So why do I want to quit this supposed great job? It just doesn’t excite me anymore in the same manner that it did when I started out. I am craving a change like Ron Swanson craves steak and whisky.

As a result, I’m planning my escape. When the time comes, I’ll probably quit, roll over my pension contributions, and exit with grace and dignity.

At least that was my plan until last week.

An Awesome Resignation

When the headline, “,” hit my Twitter feed, I was instantly intrigued and immediately read the article.

The story of how Sarah Childers, a nurse in Lakewood, Washington, chose to resign by writing the words “I QUIT” in frosting on a sheet cake will likely go down in history as one of the best resignations of all-time.

Why did Childers leave? Like me, Childers expressed discontentment with the job and noted a particularly toxic culture stemming from mismanagement and lack of attention to employee morale.

When I closed my web browser and went about the rest of my day, I couldn’t shake the thought of Childer’s epic resignation.

I kept wondering, “In what other crazy ways have people quit their jobs?”

Turns out, it was just the tip of the iceberg…

The next morning, I decided to do some more basic research on unorthodox methods of quitting a job.

What I uncovered was awe-inspiring:

A Taco Bell employee took over with a message for his boss (above).

Alaskan news reporter Charlo Greene quit her job to spend time advocating for the legalization of marijuana. Her choice of words: ““

A barista quit his job via a performance with on the Steve Harvey Show.

A Jet Blue flight attendant screamed at passengers via the intercom, snagged a beer, and then .

One woman recorded to Kanye West’s “Gone.”

An entire Chipotle crew quit and closed their doors, leaving only .

A video game designer created a new level of Super Mario Bros. to announce his resignation. You can play the game here:

A man and brought in a mariachi band to quit his job at an insurance company.

A man created a hilarious video complete with , insults, and censored nudity.

And lastly, despite being short and sweet, Richard Nixon crafted a killer resignation letter.

[J$: My favorite letter came from Jeremy from when he told all his colleagues he was retiring using a Pulp Fiction clip :) You can see it here when he shared his story on how he was able to retire early in his 30s (!!)]

Real Advice For Quitting Your Job

While these examples of quitting a job are definitely good for laughs, delivering such crude messages probably isn’t the smartest way to go. If you’re absolutely sure that it is time to part ways with your employer (J$: and remember, sometimes a job is just a job!), follow these 10 simple tips for a smooth breakup with your boss:

Think carefully before you act. Chances are high that this decision is irreversible. If your issues with your boss are your primary motivation for leaving, consider seeking a transfer to a different department.

Craft a short, dated resignation letter. Be sure the letter indicates your intended resignation date and plans for passing along key projects to other colleagues. Thank your boss for their investment in you, even if you don’t mean it. Deliver the letter in person, and prepare what you intend to say when delivering the letter. Keep it short and sweet.

Don’t burn any bridges. Talking badly about your boss, colleagues, or the company in general may provide short-term vindication, but it is unprofessional. Remember, your emotions are temporary, but your reputation is eternal.

Read your employment contract to be sure you aren’t missing anything. Recently, I resigned from my job as a school administrator and petitioned the school board to return to a teaching position. Because I had a superior employment record as a teacher and had earned tenure, my return to a teaching position was guaranteed. However, I had to continue in my position for nearly four months due to my contract structure.I have heard of countless horror stories of employees who resigned in anger right before bonuses were to be paid out. Again, be sure you know how much time you will have in your position after announcing your intent to resign. Two weeks is standard, but some employers will hand out a box and give you an hour to clean out your office.

Do your best to secure new employment before resigning. Depending upon your industry, this one may be tough, but it is the best move, financially-speaking. (J$: Another great reason to start hustles on the side! Never know which can turn into full-time gigs down the road, or at the very least make the transition easier… It also helps when you get fired too (like when your boss catches you reading this at work ;)).)

If at all possible, engineer your layoff rather than quitting. A severance package never hurt anyone! (J$: Sam from FinancialSamurai.com has a GREAT ebook on this if anyone’s interested: How To Engineer Your Layoff)

Ensure that you don’t allow any gaps in insurance coverage during your transition. If you allow your medical insurance to lapse, you will break your leg playing hoops with your boys at the park. And then you’ll be headed toward bankruptcy. Not good.

Examine your 401k/403b and other retirement benefits and plan to roll them over as soon as you leave. Don’t fall for the temptation to cash out your plan. The tax hit will hurt, and you’ll lose out on the power of time and compound interest.

Make the most of your last few days and weeks on the job. Be sure you finish any lingering projects. Make sure you collect any valuable s and files to bring with you to your next position, assuming your current employer does not prohibit this action. Don’t steal anything on the way out. If it’s not yours, don’t take it with you. Period. Gather your personal belongings, say your goodbyes, and hit the road.

Celebrate, baby! Enjoy a nice meal and pop a bottle of champagne. You’ve escaped a soul-sucking job and are moving on to new and exciting times!

How have you quit a job in the past? Any epic stories like the ones above? What other advice do you have for someone contemplating resignation?

[EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m too much of a wussy to ever quit in such fashionable form (and I know how damaging it could be so I never would!), but I have gotten creative in the “getting hired” department :) I once sent out notices a la James Bond to some of the biggest Ad agencies when looking for a design internship (think “your mission if you choose to accept it” and “this notice will self-destruct in 24 hours and my offer will be rescinded”) and it worked well to get their attention, but then I dropped the ball in the end – oops. One of the CEOs wrote back “you have 4 hours to give me a call and the job is yours” but I didn’t see it until the next day when it was too late :( Still, it pays to get creative when trying to stand out from everyone! Maybe we’ll have to do a post on that one next? I bet y’all have wiggled your way into some great jobs over the years yourselves…]

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After lurking on Beautyofbali and other personal finance blogs for years, David launched in March 2016. He is on a mission to Restore Order to the World of Finance and would love it if you followed him on Twitter () or on Facebook ().

How to Quit Your Job in Style was last modified: July 18th, 2016 by J. Money

That list of public resignations is PRICELESS! I’m pretty sure if I didn’t actually love and respect my employer so much, I’d consider going the Kanye interpretive dance route, but I’d go with “Runaway.” :-) (Thank goodness I don’t work for a$$holes! Haha.) I think the list of advice for how to quit in style is a good one, but if you’ve been with a company for more than a short time, it’s definitely better to resign in person rather than in a letter. The letter is a formality with HR, which can come later, and it’ll show your appreciation for the opportunity better if you relay the news on a human level. I sometimes find myself dreaming about the sign-off letter I’ll send to my colleagues, but I expect my actual resignation letter to be pretty bland and formal. :-)

If we’re retiring I might do something like those. I’m actually looking at a job switch soon so I have to get my resignation letter ready. I’ve quit two other times. I always kept the resignation letter super bland, but was relatively honest in the discussion. One was “they’re going to pay me 50% more”. The second was “for family.” I’m going to craft the next as “family and flexibility.”

I don’t think I’ve actually ever sent in a formal resignation letter before? I’ve always just talked with my boss and then we move to the exit interviews… Then again, the only jobs I’ve ever left on my own accord were at startups without much of an HR department and the other times I was let go due to declining business.

I think you’re probably wise to keep it vanilla, Chris. I have heard of instances in which a resigning party wrote a lengthy, love-letter type resignation and ended up pretty embarrassed when the employer hardly batted an eye lash.

Based on the stories you highlighted, I thought you were going to go for a crash-and-burn type of exit! Sure, that might be exciting in the moment, but it doesn’t help the people who you’re leaving behind.

Severance packages are incredible easy to work towards and I’m SHOCKED when people don’t bother to do this. At my recent company, the typical severance package is all benefits become vested and 6-12 months worth of salary. Despite multiple people receiving this type of package over the last year, I STILL see people quit without bothering to negotiate. I don’t understand.

My only two sense is be careful on how you mix 9 & 10. You want to show excitement towards your new job, but if you’re leaving an employer you need to also be careful not to show too much excitement, especially when others can be come jealous/envious of your success.

Matt, I can’t believe people in the accounting world would be so sloppy as to walk away from severance benefits. Yikes!

I completely agree with your final point above. I had to be awfully careful in that regard the past several months, specifically the final weeks leading up to my exit. I’m certain that many staff members were upset and angry that I was leaving (I hadn’t been in the position long) and wanted me to stick around. I was pretty relieved to be living, as I wrote in the article, but it would have been insensitive and damaging to my relationships if I had been too open about those feelings.

Love those resignations but I’m in the Finance Superhero’s line of work and boy would that not go over well – the burned bridges would haunt you forever! (I guess if you are at FIRE you might not care though!) With all the “public” (and often damn expensive) announcements – engagements and the silly “promposals” etc. – I guess a FIRE announcement could be really fun. Why did I just pack my things in a box and smile as I walked to the car? Wasted opportunity (or not…)

Nothing interesting at all! Teachers hardly ever resign where I worked (like almost never – and when they did, they were usually moving and were sad about leaving) and even retirement announcements (which should be the most fun of all!) were pretty quiet. The public announcement thing is crazy in high schools – really puts pressure on kids to outdue others. My son did the promposal thing this year totally out of peer pressure. It was cute but cost money too – hopefully it is out of his system.

I like the retirement party/announcement idea! I bet more people would show up for it too if you did one in your 20s/30s/40s :) Pretty much just to all ask you the same thing – HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT? Haha… And for once they’d listen!

#6 (engineer your layoff rather than quitting) worked out great for me when I needed to get out of being an actuary. I realized after about three months that I needed to get bout of there but my contract bound me to them for 2 years or else I would have to pay back the thousands of dollars that they paid for my relocation expenses. So I was planning to stick it out and be miserable but thankfully they broke the contract and laid me off on my 6 month mark so I wasn’t responsible for having to pay them back, but there wasn’t a severance package :(. Firing me was the best blessing that they could have given me. And because I was coming from being an actuary I was able to walk into a new job of being a financial analyst a week later without even having to have an interview.

Wow, what a blessing, Roy. Even though you missed out on a severance package, it must have felt like the weight of the world was lifted off our shoulders. Landing that new job seamlessly probably felt like icing on the cake.

I remember seeing a “music video” staged quit. The Super Mario Brothers level is the most amazing one! I don’t think I’d ever quit in style, but it’s fun to imagine. My sister staged a walkout at work. She was an unpaid intern and didn’t have a ton to lose but she had some of the paid employees out there with her. She’s such an activist!

Wow, your sister sounds like a fun person to hang around. I can’t relate to anything so cool. However, I did experience what it’s like to picket during a teacher strike, even though it was one day long. Somehow, I ended up on the front page of the Chicago newspaper the Northwest Herald to boot. Go figure. . .

Great points! I love my job and would probably keep working after FI, but I would also avoid burning bridges like some did in your list. They make a great story though! Maybe Hell hath no fury like a scorned employee- or something like that?

I’m a big fan of the “I’m done with this place moment.” I heard a story about a guy who was in the middle of a meeting one day at my place of employment who stood up, said something to the effect of, “Yeah I don’t want to do this anymore”, and left. No 2 weeks, no explanation, emptied his cube and left. A very Office Space type moment.

LOVE reading about the awesome ways ppl quit their jobs. “Don’t burn any bridges” is the best advice. Years ago, when I worked in the mortgage industry, my boss gave our whole team that advice as we rose to become the top sales force in the state at that time, simply because in the mortgage industry people move around so much and you never know who your next boss is going to be. I’ve kept that advice close to my heart ever since.

When I quit my job it was tempting to do something dramatic, but keeping things polite is always the best policy. I learned that back when another colleague of mine left and decided to incinerate his ties with a huge tirade. Well the new job did not work out and he has been trying to get back in the company for years. They let everyone back, but not this individual.

Ouch! I doubt most of the people referenced above went crawling back to their employers, but it’s great to read about a real-life example of what might happen if you exit with fanfare and then try to reconcile.

I imagine you were so excited about quitting and living the dream that it would have been a bit ho-hum to put any effort into your exit.

My last company (oil and gas), I tried to get back into a Business Unit and get back to drilling wells rather than feeling like I was part of the fat that needed trimming. After a few weeks of back and forth my boss closed the door on that option and told me I’d be there for another 18-24 months before getting to transfer.

Eight weeks later, I walked into his bosses office and he was in there also, and I said, “you remember how I wanted to get back to a BU and you guys said no? Well, another company said yes, so here’s my notice, I’m going to drill some wells.” And I handed them my resignation letter (I’d cleaned out my office over the previous 2 weeks) and then went to my office to wait for them to tell me I could leave. It felt AWESOME!
It was a “researchy” position so standard practice was resignations are effective immediately and you’re gone in a few hours whether you give 2 weeks or not.

Nnnoope, They didn’t try one bit. :) My bosses boss actually said, “Well, when we said we wanted to keep you and not let you move, Um, I guess we chose wrong there huh?” He was really nice about it, but to say he and my immediate boss were shocked was an understatement. :)

Ah what wonderful fantasies! I work in PR, a discipline that knows no end to indignities, overwork, unreasonable expectations and generally suffering awful people. How I dream of writing a book detailing the sad hilarity of my most deplorable clients who range from shameless to sadistic. Or the A-list “YouTuber” who accepted a trip to Korea for her and her entourage that cost thousands upon thousands of dollars and then did none of the things she agreed to in return. Or the editor from a prominent trade publication who sent me a story that included my client with a note saying “Don’t send flowers – they are such a waste. But I DO like gift cards to SoulCycle!” I wish I could unsee all these things!

I love the part about not burning bridges. I ended up getting a job at a place I had wanted to work after college. The place was non profit so people were constantly getting laid off. They laid off one of my coworkers (who had worked there over 15 years) by calling her in to our boss’ office where they handed her a letter. They didn’t say anything, just made her read it. I felt so bad for her that they had kept me and let her go since she could have just done both our jobs … So I ended up starting to look for new work so I wasn’t the newest on the chopping block. I ended up finding a much higher paying job. I called my boss and told her I needed to give her something, walked in with my resignation letter, said nothing, and handed it to her. :)

During my second year as a teacher, our school district went through a major budget crisis and laid off almost 800 teachers as a ploy to force the union to negotiate. At my school alone, about 20% of the staff, including me, was laid off. Administration called all of us into the conference room, showed as a ridiculous Powerpoint presentation from HR (and read it word for word, I might add) and answered all of our questions with “Please ask HR or your union president.” That was a pretty dark day.

I also like all of the advice, except for #5. Part of working on financial independence is to ensure we can leave behind a job that is toxic. And sometimes that means leaving a job with no other immediate prospects in mind. That’s “liquid courage” at its finest. ;)

I think it’s a fine line to walk for most people, Free to Pursue. If you’re close to FI, there’s not much harm in exiting in style without a back up plan. On the other hand, for the average person, leaving a job with no other prospects could be suicidal. For example, I wanted to leave far sooner than I did, but I had to the responsible thing and keep a job that paid my mortgage. But I’ll always remember that miserable stretch and use it as my motivation to achieve FI as soon as possible.

I’ve had a few bad jobs and always wanted to quit in style. In my last job I worked for a supervisor I didn’t get along with. She was a mean spirited bully and I couldn’t wait to tell her all the ways she had wronged me. In the end though I just sent her a simple e-mail. She ended up giving me a killer reference for my current job which I still don’t understand, considering how much time I had spent fighting her control. Just goes to show, sometimes you think the bridge is burned and it’s not.

Gotta make sure you don’t burn bridges. also make sure not to mention any company dirty laundry, no matter how obscure the route. I had an old boss find a random comment on a website one time and he reemed me out about it. Despite him having no more power over me, they can always threaten you with legal action. If he’s reading budgets are sexy I guess I’m screwed and it was meant to be.

Thanks for sharing us your quitting secret Finance Superhero! Good thing you did because you must realize it is FAR BETTER to negotiate a severance than quit! It’s all about providing as long as a financial runway as possible to do something new, entrepreneurial wise, travel wise, a new job, or just chilling with the family!

It’s been 4.5 years since I left my day job and I’m stilling going to receive one more deferred compensation check in 1Q2017. Without my severance, I might have panicked and gone back to work. And if I went back to work, I wouldn’t have been able to build Financial Samurai into the position it is in today.

Thanks for mentioning the book guys. It’s one of my dreams to never hear someone quit ever again. Never quit, get laid! :)

It’s always a pleasure to help people get in touch with Financial Samurai. Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, your principles were a big inspiration for this post, Sam. Now that my secret is out, it looks like its time to get busy following the lead of pros like you and J. Money and grow Finance Superhero into an empire. :)

When I first started University the faculty went on strike and classes were cancelled for several months. I chose to pick up a second job to go with my part time nights and weekend work at a local restaurant. I didn’t tell the owners what my situation was, they understandably didn’t ask if I was in a holding pattern of labour negotiations. I moved up pretty quickly and was promoted to a management position within a couple of months. I was scheduled to open the restaurant the day after notice came out that the strike was settled and classes were starting effective immediately. I was young and careless so rather than stepping up and letting them know face to face, I went and left a handwritten note that said “I’m really sorry but I’m going back to school! Scott”. Even though that burnt bridge hasn’t come back to haunt me professionally – it did bother me personally that I dealt with it that way.

I did muster up the guts to go back in, about a year later to apologize. They told me that they wouldn’t have treated me differently had they known I was just waiting for classes to resume; but I find that hard to believe. Either way, I was in the wrong. Even if I was going to burn the bridge, the methods in this post are MUCH better than what I came up with.

hahaha, too funny. What’s hilarious is the constant contemplation of leaving the firm I’m with. Legitimately, I’ve written my two weeks before. Been on the grind in public accounting for 5 years and will have a huge debate with myself on whether to stay/go these upcoming few weeks and it just so happens to fall on compensation reviews & bonuses, fitting, right? Hilarious and well timed post. Appreciate it!

Thanks Lanny. From what I have heard from my accountant friends, 5 years is like a lifetime in your field. I consult a bit in the area of accounting and find it really taxing (please hold your applause!).

Nice one FSH. We all wait with baited breath to see what imaginative way you choose to resign. Ho on man, make it a goody lol. Look at it this way, if you ignore tip #3 (burning your bridges) it gives you more reason to ensure early retirement really works out.

I have to say, my history of resignations generally isn’t going to make the news although I did quite a bar job I had in my early 20s by writing “I QUIT” on the back of a bar mat and handing it to the manager at the end of the night. She threw it away and told me she wasn’t accepting it. I guess she accepted it when I didn’t show up for work ever again hehe.

That was a fun read FS and I have daydreamed many times of the best way to “go out”! Unfortunately, like you said, it’s best not to burn bridges and the longer you’ve worked in an industry the smaller you realize it really is. If you were to go out in epic style, word gets around pretty fast. I have not personally seen anyone go out big like the stories above, but I’ve daydreamed about it myself from time to time!

My blaze of glory moment was in college, when I didn’t need or care about having money. Needed the day off to deal with a death in the family manager said no. I waited till I was the only one on the schedule for a Saturday and just no showed. Went back in a week later to get my last check and the manager was pissed, I said maybe she should show some human decency next time someone is in my situation. I’m sure that store lost a few thousand not being open for at least half a day.

Wow, that’s gutsy Paul, but I can’t say I blame you. What kind of horrible person doesn’t allow an absence to deal with a death in the family? I think she deserved to lose a bit of money, to be honest.

Ah Finance Superhero, nice to see you guest posting! I love the end goal of personal finance enthusiasts, they have the power to be completely independent from the employer that income isn’t a huge factor in life. The people mentioned above definitely took a lot of thought in how they want to leave.. I wouldn’t want to be remembered in such a way but to each own!

There have been many jobs I’d have loved to have walked out in style, however I was always to scared to burn bridges just in case anything went wrong in the new job. One of those jobs I had to go back to 3 years after leaving, luckily I had left on good terms and they wholeheartedly welcomed me back – phew!

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I, J. Money, only claim the thoughts from my head. I am not a banker, CPA, money manager or anything else of that sort. Please seek a professional for any "real" advice. More info: privacy & disclosure page